KLHK Releases Hundred Hectares Of Forest Area For The Pekanbaru-Bangkinang Toll Road

PEKANBARU - The central government, through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), has issued a letter to release forest areas for the 25-hectare Pekanbaru-Bangkinang toll road section and 92-hectare Bangkinang-Pangkalan section.

"The construction of the Pekanbaru-Padang section of the Pekanbaru-Bangkinang and Bangkinang-Pangkalan toll roads was hampered by the presence of areas that were included in the forest area. But now the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has released them," said Riau Province Secretary, SF Hariyanto, in Pekanbaru, quoted by Antara, Saturday, May 28.

With the release of the forest area, his party will immediately follow up, because the letter asks the local government for a maximum of one year to resolve the land acquisition problem.

According to Hariyanto, the Riau Provincial Government was given a maximum of one year to complete the land discussion. If it is not completed, later it can be withdrawn to the central government for completion.

"With the release of the forest area, it is targeted that the Pekanbaru-Bangkinang section of the toll road can be passed. And the Bangkinang-Pangkalan section of the toll road can be passed by June 2023," he said.

He explained that the central government, through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), had issued a decision to release forest areas that were included in the construction of the Pekanbaru-Padang toll road. For Riau, there are two sections that are included in the forest area, namely the Pekanbaru-Bangkinang and Bangkinang-Pangkalan sections.